


Caught Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea

by bluebox_girl42



Series: Traveling With Time Lords [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Other, Romance, Undercover, lying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22724578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebox_girl42/pseuds/bluebox_girl42
Summary: This is a prologue to Bad Dreams https://archiveofourown.org/works/22724113 and tells how the reader first came to meet The Master and how they end up traveling with him and The Doctor.Part of the Traveling with Time Lords series which can be found herehttps://archiveofourown.org/series/1634077When The Doctor takes the reader to Australia they meet and fall for the shy and geeky O. But little do they know he’s hiding a deep dark secret, he’s a time lord called The Master. The only problem is they were never part of The Master’s plan.
Relationships: The Master (Dhawan)/Reader
Series: Traveling With Time Lords [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1634077
Comments: 21
Kudos: 78





	Caught Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea

As you walked through the Tardis you remembered the rhyme your grandad used to sing to you when you both played the deep blue sea game, “Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, catching fishes for my tea. Dead or alive?”

Now you were older the lines made zero sense, but your fondness for it still remained. But right now it felt apt with those glowy aliens out there. Not even the Tardis was safe anymore.

You opened the door of the Tardis and walked into the living room. O was half bent over his computers with his back to you tapping away at one of the keyboards.

“Dead or alive,” you whispered to yourself as you closed the Tardis door.

The sound caused him to turn round sharply. You smiled sheepishly, ”Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. It’s just…I couldn’t sleep. Not with those things out there. Not now they can get into the Tardis.”

“That’s understandable.” O smiled.

“What time is it?”

O looked at the display, “3:30 am.” he responded just a little too brightly for you.

“Don’t you ever sleep.” You asked.

“I don’t need much sleep, learnt how to go without it after working for the government for so long.”

“In that case care to share your secrets on how.”

“Can’t I’d have to kill you.” O paused amused at his own joke. “I can, however, offer hot cocoa. I believe that can help with sleep.”

“Deal.”

You sat down on one of the sofa’s and watched his reflection in the window as he made you the drink. After a few minutes, O placed two mugs down on the coffee table and sat down next to you.

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?” he asked

“For bringing those things with us, for bringing them right to your front door. The Doctor…she doesn’t always stop and think about the chaos she brings and the destruction she leaves in her wake. She’s so busy running she doesn’t stop and look behind her.”

“That’s her MO though isn’t it?”

“Yes but sometimes…sometimes I wish she’d think about those she leaves behind.”

O looked at you with those big brown puppy dog eyes of his. He looked almost sad. It made you feel even more guilty about the evening’s events. About Sesay and Browning and Yaz. How you were powerless to do anything.

“Look I can’t promise to keep you safe. But I can promise you, that I will do everything in my power to keep you out of harm’s way. I know it’s not much, but it’s all I’ve got.”

“I kind of signed up for this when I joined MI6 you know.”

“Maybe. But you didn’t sign up for life with the Doctor. You didn’t sign up for what happened this evening.”

“Your coco’s getting cold.” he smiled trying to lighten the mood.

“It’s not the only thing.” you shivered. You picked up the mug and felt it warm your palms. “I never realised how cold it got in the outback at night.”

O picked up a blanket and wrapped it around you, “you get used to it.”

He was so close to you, you could reach out and kiss him… you turned and quickly took a sip of the hot drink before you did something you’d later regret. You couldn’t fall for him, life with the Doctor wouldn’t allow it. Though the Tardis would make having a long-distance relationship easier. You chided yourself for having these thoughts. Besides, what would he even see in you? You were nothing special.

O picked up his own drink but before he took a sip he asked you a question. “Why do you travel with the Doctor?”

“Why wouldn’t you. All of time and space, anywhere and everywhere. Imagine seeing stars born right in front of you. Seeing sunrises that have long since past, seeing sunsets that have yet to happen. Meeting those who’ve long since past and those yet to be born.”

“Yet it doesn’t seem to be making you happy.”

His words hit you hard a bit too hard. “What makes you say that?”

“I can see it in your eyes. Every-time you look at the Doctor.”

“She…” What was it about those brown eyes that made you want to tell him every secret you’d ever had. “I’m… I’m not part of the fam. Not originally. I don’t have that connection with them that they have with each other. Ryan and Graham are family and Yaz is Ryan’s friend from school. I’m just the tag along. Sometimes it feels like they’ve forgotten I’m even there.”

You saw the look in O’s eyes. “They try though. I mean the Doctor’s been promising to take me to see the Metreon Cascade for a while now, it’s a place in the Sirius galaxy where hundreds of stars are born and die in minutes. She says it’s an anomaly and Graham’s a good laugh. He…” the words died in your throat as you realised you were trying to convince yourself and not him.

You looked away and drank from the mug again.

“This is good hot chocolate.” You said after a few minutes trying to change the conversation.

“What do you actually know about the Doctor?”

“Shes a time lord and she travels in time and space, oh and sometimes she claims she used to be a man.”

O smiled amused, ”No seriously, what do you really know about her.”

You swallowed as you considered the question. His eyes bore into yours as they waited for your answer. “In all seriousness, nothing.”

He picked up a Manila A4 folder with the MI6 logo on the front and the words The Doctor, Classified stamped across it. “Maybe you should take a look at this then.” he sounded equal parts mischievous and equal parts helpful.

“You have a file on the Doctor? Do MI6 know you have this.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” he teased. “Besides this is just the highlights reel. The whole file is on those shelves over there.”

You looked at the folder in his hand. You were tempted, you remembered every time you and the fam had tried to ask her a question to only ever get rebuffed. But there was also nagging doubt just behind your curiosity. “Didn’t you ever hear what happened when the Devil convinced Eve to bite into the apple?”

O shook his head.

“God threw her and Adam out of the garden of Eden.”

“You think the Doctor will throw you out of the Tardis once you know her secrets?”

“Well I was thinking more along the lines of how do I know you aren’t the devil, sitting on my shoulder, trying to seduce me?” the words were out of your mouth before you realised how that sounded.

“Maybe I am.” he replied, half smirking, half biting his lip, closing the gap between the two of you.

You looked down at the folder so your gaze wouldn’t linger on his lips. You looked back at him and you found yourself staring straight into his brown eyes. He was so close to you. You did’nt know if you should kiss him so you would’nt read the file or read the file so you would’nt kiss him.

“Ah glad to see someone’s awake. Everyone else is a sleep.” The voice of the Doctor caused you to suddenly shuffle along the sofa, putting space between you and O as you handed him the file back.

“I wasn’t interrupting anything was I? I’m still not good at judging social interactions.”

“No.” Your voice was slightly a bit too high pitched and you looked at O embarrassed. You noticed he looked vaguely annoyed at her. “We were just going through the chatter. Seeing if there was any mention of those glowy things over the past few years.” You quickly added.

“Anything?”

“No, nothing. You know something isn’t right here Doctor.”

You could have sworn you heard O snort as he put his mug to his lips. But you ignored it. “There’s something we’re missing. I can feel it. Something obvious and it’s right in front of our faces and we just can’t see it yet.” As you spoke you looked at O. For a second you could have sworn he looked almost nervous. But then that was his temperament and you couldn’t blame him, not after this evening.

* * * 

You watched unnerved as O changed into the Master in just the blink of an eye. The way his body language changed from that of a shy and nervous geek into maniacal chaos.

“Ambushed him on his way to work on his first day. Shrunk him, took his identity and set myself up in MI6. Surprisingly good staff canteen.”

How was this even possible? You looked at the Doctor in fear hoping she would give you some answers but she only briefly made eye contact with you. Instead of reassurance, you saw only fear and shame. Your heart was pounding as your stomach dropped. Your eyes fell on O…no the Master, you couldn’t look away. You were silently pleading with him for this to all be some horrid twisted joke. It had to be.

The next few minutes all happened in a blur. The fam rushed forward towards the Doctor but you remained stuck where you were. Your legs wouldn’t move, they felt weak as you clutched the seat to remain upright. You struggled to hear what was happening as the sound of your heartbeat fought to drown everything else out. Your brain just couldn’t process what was going on. The more you staired at the Master the more stupid and foolish you felt. Suddenly there was an explosion and the plane started to plunge downwards. Ryan, Yaz and Graham were all screaming as the air was sucked out of the cabin. You weren’t sure if you were screaming or not as you continued to cling to the nearest seat.

The Master leaned over the Doctor, yelling something about everything being a lie. You saw the device in his hand and knew he had to have a way out of this somehow. Even maniacs don’t let themselves burn in the fire. Without thinking you reached forward and grabbed the collar of his tuxedo jacket. The next thing you knew you were falling forward and hitting a hard floor. You tried to ignore the pain in your hands and knees as you attempted to take in your surroundings.

Suddenly O… no the Master was standing over you with anger in his eyes. “Someone’s feeling brave. Let’s see how long that lasts shall we.”

You glanced around again and saw what looked like a Tardis console.

“This is a Tardis?…your house is a Tardis?”

“10 points to Griffindor,” he said sarcastically as he started pulling levers.

“You weren’t part of the plan,” he growled to himself.

“Nothing in life ever is.”

You regretted opening your mouth the instant you saw his eyes. In one swift movement, he pulled you up and shoved you into the nearest wall. Not hard enough to injure you but just enough to give you a shock. His hand wrapped around your throat and started to squeeze. You tried to fight the panic rising in your chest and remember that self-defence class you had taken a few years ago. But as you started to struggle for breath your mind could only make you cling desperately to his fingers as you tried to peel them away from your neck.

As your vision started to go blurry you could have sworn you saw something in the Master’s eyes. Almost a look of pain. He let go of you and stalked off to the other side of the Tardis. Your legs buckled and you fell to the floor. At this rate, you’d be intimately acquainted with the floor of this particular Tardis.

The next thing you knew Barton was sneering at you like you were something a cat had dragged in. As he and the Master started talking you stayed out if it, slowly inching yourself into the nearest corner. You needed a plan. You had to help the guys but you hadn’t the faintest idea of what you could do so you tried to make it look like you weren’t listening into the two men. Maybe you could learn something of use. Suddenly the Master started hitting the console and you found you were terrified. Nothing during your time with the Doctor had prepared you for this. The only upside was the fam had survived and so had the Doctor. Now you just had to survive. “Dead or alive,” you whispered.

* * *

Sometime later the Master stalked out of the Tardis with murder in his eyes. Whatever it was the Doctor was doing the Master was not happy about it. Though judging from his outfit the Doctor was in the past. But that didn’t exactly help you narrow things down. The past could still be a hundred different possibilities. The Master didn’t even acknowledge your presence as the door slammed behind him and you found yourself letting out a breath you hadn’t realised you had been holding on to. You waited to the count to 100 to make sure the coast was clear. Then you ran to the door but it was locked. You pulled and pulled on the doorknob but it wouldn’t move. You hit the door in your frustration.

Then you had another idea, you ran to the console but it was no use the Master’s Tardis was nothing like the Doctor’s and even if it had been you had no idea how to fly her. There was nothing for it, you would have to wait till the Master returned. As you leaned against the console your eyes fell on the Master’s tuxedo jacket. He’d taken it off after he’d dropped off Barton. Maybe there was something in there. You started to rummage through the pockets when you found a device, it looked like the one he had been holding on the plane. You slipped it into your pocket, maybe it could come in useful later. Then you remembered the Doctor’s file, still on the coffee table maybe you could learn something of use after all. Maybe there was something about the Master in there.

Sitting down on the sofa you tried to ignore the memory of you and O from the previous night. “Me and her, we go way, way, way back,” you muttered as you picked up the file. To your surprise, there were photos attached to sheets of A4 paper.

Clara Oswald, a school teacher, deceased. Was stamped onto a photo of a thirty-something brunette.

Bill Potts, a canteen assistant. Whereabouts are unknown. Was stamped onto a photo of a mixed-race woman in her 20’s.

Rose Tyler, shop assistant, deceased. Was stamped onto a photo of a young blond in her early 20’s.

Amelia Pond, unemployed, whereabouts unknown. Was stamped onto a photo of a young redhead in her 20’s.

Your eyes skimmed the papers attached to each photo. Then there were photos of different men all stamped with the Doctor across them. A man in his 20’s with floppy hair, wearing tweed and a bow tie. A man in his fifties with grey hair who reminded you of a magician. Another photo of the same man, but this time he was with a woman who resembled a scary victorian Mary Poppins.

The Doctor hadn’t been kidding, she really had been a man. And as you had long suspected you and the fam weren’t the first to travel with her. But now you knew why she never spoke of them. How many more who had joined her on her travels had died. Judging from the file these were the ones MI6 knew of, were there more? How had they died? What else was the Doctor hiding from you all?

The file mentioned various disasters and alien invasions on Earth; the nestine consciousness, the battle of Canary Wharf, the Sycorax on Christmas day, the star in the sky also on Christmas day, the mysterious black cubes, … all had one thing in common, the Doctor. The Master was right about one thing, you didn’t know her at all. Then you remembered what the fortune teller on Orion had said, “The woman who leaves chaos and destruction in her wake, death the one constant companion she cannot shake.”

Suddenly you heard the door of the Tardis open and you scrambled to hide the contents of the file. You shoved it under the nearest cushion. You stood up expecting to come face to face with the Master, but instead, the Doctor was standing in front of you. A huge grin broke out on her face.

“(Y/N) your alive!” at any other time you would have felt the elation in her words, but this time they inadvertently stung. But at least she wasn’t the Master so you did your best to return her smile. Then your eyes fell on the two women with the Doctor. “You didn’t hang around did you Doc, you’ve replaced us already.” You tried to joke, but the smile never reached your eyes. Not that the Doctor noticed.

* * *

You walked behind the Doctor into the hanger but your eyes never left the Master. You found yourself both excited and scared to see him again. You tried to remind yourself that he wasn’t O, O had been nothing more than a disguise. And yet you still couldn’t turn off your feelings for him, even after the way he had treated you as the Master. You watched as the Doctor played her recording of him boasting about betraying Barton and the Kasaavin. You realised the Doctor was going to hand him over to them. Even after everything he had done you couldn’t let her do it. O had to still be in there somewhere. You remembered what the Kasaavin had done to those agents. You couldn’t let them rewrite his DNA like that. You pulled the device out of your pocket and hid it up your sleeve.

“Wait” you called out and started walking forward. Both the Doctor and The Master looked at you like you were crazy.

“(Y/N) what are doing?” The Doctor tried not to yell.

“There’s something you should know. Something that’s vital to the safety of your species.”

Graham looked at Ryan and Yaz as if to say that’s it you’ve finally lost it.

You felt the device weigh heavily in your palm. What the hell were you doing you yelled at yourself. The Kasaavin paused.

You walked towards the Master. “Y/N” the Doctor yelled. You put your left hand up in a signal to shush her. All the while your eyes never left the Master’s.

“Before I tell you what that is, answer me this. What happens to the DNA of all the spies you rewrote. Can you put them back? Make them human again.” The Master snorted in derision unaware you were playing for time.

“No.” The voice said. “They are expendable to us.”

You were close enough to the Master now. “Then, in that case”, you threw your arms forward in what you hoped would look to the Doctor and the others like a shoving motion. As you pushed the Master backwards slightly, you pushed the device into his chest, hoping he’d realize what you were doing. For a moment he looked shocked than his hand briefly met yours as he grabbed the device.

“Then you should know that this planet and this universe is defended.” You tried to make your voice sound braver than you felt. You stepped backwards as the Kasaavin stepped forward. In an instant, both they and the Master were gone. Graham placed a hand on your shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

You nodded as your eyes never left the spot where the Master had been stood. “I’m always okay.”

* * *

The Doctor had gone…well, who knows where and the fam had returned to Sheffield to try and pick up what was left of the broken shards of their lives. You, however, had simply gone home. Thankfully you didn’t have to reassure family members you were not a wanted criminal, one upside to making yourself the hostage of a demented time lord. After the last few hours, the last thing you needed right now was awkward conversations with family.

You twisted the key in the lock and entered your flat. As always everything was just how you’d left it. You felt the tears you’d been trying to hold back for the last few hours finally fall down your cheeks. How could you be so bloody stupid you yelled, throwing your keys across the room in frustration.

The one time, the one time you finally meet someone you like. How had he done it? How had he gotten you to trust him? Because the Doctor trusted him that how! You were always so cautious. You grabbed the nearest cushion and hugged it before and diving face forward into the sofa. You started to sob.

The next thing you knew you were waking up. The last few days must finally have caught up with you. Dusk was starting to fall across the city causing the light inside your flat to grow dimmer by the minute. Groggily you pushed yourself up into a sitting position and tossed the cushion to one side. Then you walked forward towards the window, carefully avoiding the coffee table, picking up your keys as you went. Sighing you looked out across the city all those people totally unaware that the Doctor had saved their lives. You wrapped your arms around you in an attempt to give yourself some small comfort and block out the chill.

You tried to ignore the memory of O wrapping the blanket around your shoulders. His eyes had seemed so warm and kind. How could one man be so different?

There was a knocking sound which caused you to spin around. Your face fell as you saw the Master leaning nonchalantly in the door frame looking at you with those same brown eyes that O had. You decided to skip the cliché how did you get in here question and went straight for the only slightly less cliched what are you doing here?

The Master ignored it and continued to stare straight at you, it was like being watched by a tiger that hadn’t eaten in years.

“Why?” he asked.

“Why what?”

He held up the device and gave you a look that demanded you answer him. “Why did you help me escape?”

You took a deep breath before speaking. “Because I made a promise. And I always keep my promises.”

The Master narrowed his eyes. “I tried to kill you and your friends.”

“I know, but I’m trying not to take it personally.” You desperately tried to imitate the Doctor in the hope that you’d sound more courageous than you felt.

The Master started to walk towards you. The roaring of your heartbeat in your ears was starting to become deafening. You realised you were trapped. He shook his head. “No there’s something more. I can see it in your eyes.”

He was inches from your face as you subconsciously pushed yourself as far up against the windowsill as you could. Those brown eyes were almost hypnotic. “O. I did it for O.”

The Master tilted his head bemused at your human attachment to his alter ego. You knew you’d be mocked for what you were about to say, but you did it anyway. “I did it because even though he wasn’t real, he listened to me. He actually sat and listened. And yes I know you plan to use all that information against me. But for a few hours, I wasn’t lonely. Do you have any idea how that feels, to be stood in a room full of people and still feel alone and unwanted?”

The Master straightened his head and turned away. His fingers brushing against the coffee table almost as if he was debating something. Your mobile started ringing, it was the ringtone you had assigned specifically to the Doctor. You looked at the Master, “I have to take this. It’s the Doctor. If I don’t…” he nodded but his eyes never left you as you picked up.

“Hi, Doctor.”

“Hello, was wondering how do you feel about 1920’s London? The Tardis is picking up a signal. I’ll be there to pick you up in five minutes.” She didn’t even give you the chance to answer.

“I’ve always wanted to visit 20’s London.”

“Great I’ll be with you as soon as I’ve picked up the others.” You could hear the Doctor pause on the other end. “Is everything okay?’

You looked at the Master before answering. He raised an eyebrow as if daring you to tell the Doctor he was here. “Yeah, you just woke me up that’s all. I’m still a bit groggy.”

“Sorry is it really that late already? The guys never said…”

“No, I think I just crashed out after all the adrenaline and everything wore off. After all, today…has’nt exactly been a good day really”

The Doctor paused, you thought she was going to say something to at least try and make you feel better but instead, she replied with “Right in that case see you in five!” The Doctor’s voice sounded a little too chirpy. You’d been manipulated and the Doctor didn’t care one bit. You tried to make sure the Master didn’t spot your disappointment.

“Bye Doctor.” you ended the call. “She’ll be here in five minutes. So you’d probably better go.”

The Master looked at you for a second too long before speaking. “Travel with me.”

“What?”

“Travel with me. You said yourself the Doctor never has any time for you. You’re just her little plaything to be picked up and put down whenever she’s bored.”

“Like you won’t get bored with me.”

The Master smirked, “ Oh I never get bored, things have a way of getting very interesting when I’m around.”

He held out his hand, “A lot can happen in five minutes.”

You looked down at his outstretched palm. “Oceans can rise, empires can fall, stars can burn and you can still be back in time for tea,” you replied.

“Exactly.” The Master’s voice had lowered.

“She never has to know?” you asked.

“She never has to know,” he replied. You knew that was a lie but you still took his hand anyway. Your flat disappeared replaced by the console room of the Master’s Tardis.

“Where to first?” You asked.

The Master looked at you from across the console. “How about the Metreon Cascade?” he grinned.

You smiled and the Tardis began to dematerialize. As you watched the Master you couldn’t help but wonder what it was you had just done. A few hours ago this time lord had lied to you and tried to kill you and now you were running away with him. Your smile faltered.

“Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea…dead or alive?” you whispered to yourself


End file.
